Welcome to Venice
The cozy, seaside haven of Venice often bristles at being compared with Sarasota, its more energetic sister city to the north, but if you are seeking sampler portions of great cultural activities, beaches, shopping and recreation, there are not many places that can compare with the proud city to the south. Its downtown is filled with antique stores, boutiques and a cohesive sense of place boasting well-preserved Northern Italian Renaissance architecture. Evenings can be filled with shows by the award-winning community troupe at the Venice Theatre or concerts by the Venice Symphony.
The beaches include the only dog beach park in Sarasota County, the last full length pier for fishing on Florida's west coast and Sharky's, one of the best beach restaurants and party bars around. Fish on the pier, grab a brew at Sharky's and watch for sharks' teeth. Don't be alarmed by the Venice nickname of "Sharks Tooth Capital of the World." What brings the crowds here are shiny black fossilized prehistoric sharks' teeth that can be found by scooping the sand during long strolls on the beach. The best place to find sharks' teeth is Caspersen Beach, an unspoiled, windswept beach where a nature trail leads through saltwater marshes and tidal flats.
This is also a perfectly bikeable community, with one end of Sarasota County's Legacy Trail for walkers and bicycling from the historic Venice Train Depot north to Sarasota at Palmer Ranch, or south on the Venetian Waterway Trail along the Intracoastal Waterway to Caspersen Beach.
